


To Dream of William

by EmotionalTornado



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Post-Sacrifice Arcadia Bay Ending, Sacrifice Arcadia Bay Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 08:08:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13119639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmotionalTornado/pseuds/EmotionalTornado
Summary: Following the destruction of Arcadia Bay, Max and Chloe set off to begin their lives elsewhere. Along the way Max realizes that her best friend is still struggling to cope with the loss of her father and Rachel. Though she attempts at first to help Chloe in more traditional ways, she struggles in seeing Chloe in so much pain. Eventually she decides to take things into her own hands and goes back in time once more to save Chloe's father.





	1. It has Finally Arrived

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for stopping by! This is my first fan-fiction type thing so I'm open to any comments or criticism. This is not complete though I hope to have it finished soon. I'm not sure if its common to post works in progress here (or if there is a certain way to flag a work as such) so I apologize in advance if that isn't a thing. Anyways I hope you enjoy! I expect this to be 3-4 chapters in length.

As Max and Chloe approached the now devastated Arcadia Bay they sat in silence scared of what the future may bring. Without a word, Chloe decided to make a few stops before the two friends ventured off into the so desperately sought unknown. The first of these was the diner that Joyce, Warren, and more utilized to take shelter from the storm. Nearing the building, Chloe slowly began to apply the brakes as a faint squeek started to emit from the front two tires. Once at a complete stop, she slid the gear shift up with a soft _clank_ felt throughout the worn down truck. Without saying a word, the two stepped out of the vehicle and looked towards the diner.

The calm, cool air lightly danced around the many obstacles that now make up the diner’s structure. The entrance now blocked by the former sign that once pierced the skies of Arcadia Bay. Half the structure rests in a state of collapse while the rest resides within the endless darkness - void of light. Max glanced over at Chloe and slowly waltzed toward her presence. Chloe had put her arm around Max, and the two began to walk towards the open windows hoping to get a glance inside. As their eyes danced around the empty booths and broken kitchen equipment they are quick to realize something both reassuring and painful. There were no visible victims of the storm within the diner. “Ma-- Maybe she got out?” Chloe said, clearing her voice upon ending what felt like an endless silence. The words put a slight grin on Max’s face as she realized that she might not of hurt everyone as much as she thought she had. The cliche-geek simply nodded her head slightly whilst glancing into Chloe’s bright blue eyes.

Max then stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Chloe, tightly holding her as she let out a few tears. “I’m sorry” she says, lightly sobbing on Chloe’s back. Caught off guard, Chloe steps back and stares shockingly at Max.

“Sorry?! You just hella saved my life! AGAIN! I should be the one apologizing for being such a fuck up, you should have never had to make those decisions!” Chloe said fumbling over her onslaught of emotions. “I fucking love you, Max! I always have! I mean – sure you left and all. And ignored me for a few years.” Chloe slightly smiled and chuckled as she poked fun at the nerdy girl tearing up in front of her. “I have lost everything that has ever been important to me. My dad, Rachel, you. But then one day I woke up and you were back. It was like a dream come true. But not only was Maxamillion back, she fought to stay with me. ME! You gave up Arcadia Bay, Blackwell, Mr. Creeperson, and so much more just so you could be with me. Dammit Max you have _nothing_ to apologize for! Not now, not ever. You are my dream come true, asshole!” Chloe’s emotional release ended with a stumbling exhale caught on the barriers holding back the blue-haired girls tears.

Max almost instantly felt better. Though she had come to blackwell to try and not be her typical cliche-geek self, her past had just come alive more than ever. Like the few milliseconds after a bomb explodes, Max’s lips found themselves pulled towards Chloe’s. In that moment, the endless sea of destruction surrounding them, the never-ending fear of where to go next – it all disappeared. In that moment, as if the entire universe had finally aligned, everything felt perfect. Max slowly pulled her lips away as if she was caught off guard by her own actions, “I’d do it again. All of it.” She said, resting her head upon Chloe’s shoulder.

With a teary smile now comfortably resting on Chloe’s face, she gestured toward the truck “Come on, one more place to check up on before we go. Home, shit –”

“Home.” Max said, finishing Chloe’s trademark statement. “Oh, and by the way, I love you too. In case that wasn’t clear.” The two returned to the truck, but this time the atmosphere was different. It was no longer filled with uncertainty and fear, instead in its place were hope and optimism. The rusty vehicle began shaking as Chloe turned the key in the ignition. Placing the vehicle into drive, the couple began heading towards the Price residence – or, rather, what was left of it.

As the vehicle pulled into the abandoned drive way, Chloe and Max were quick to notice the absence of a roof. Apart from this, the longterm home of the Price clan was in a better condition compared to its surrounding structures. Like a song on repeat, the two began looking around the area for anyone they might recognize. Their efforts were once again futile. Silently acknowledging their defeat, the two prompted to begin collecting resources for their journey ahead. “My room first. I want to make sure my dope wasn’t ruined.” Chloe said in her typical careless humor.

The downpour that came alongside the storm damaged various belongings throughout the room. Despite all of this, Max couldn’t help but feel that this mess was likely to have been a future statement by her blue-haired friend. As Chloe rummaged around behind her computer-desk, Max began looking around for clothing. She had left a change of clothes a few days prior and would likely need them moving forward. The slightly-worn clothing was tossed into a bag as Max began grabbing some of Chloe’s clothing as well.

Upon completion, Max felt satisfied she had gathered enough for their forseeable future together. It was at this point that she turned around to check on how Chloe’s hunt for dope had been going. She couldn’t help but slightly chuckle as she realized Chloe had grabbed only three things – the mix-CD from their days as pirates, a photo of her father, and a photo of Rachel.

“I’m ready. Let’s bail.” Chloe said as she put her items in the bag Max was packing.

“Out of pot?” Max asked jokingly.

“Nada. Decided I don’t need it.” She said while casually walking out towards the hallway. Max couldn’t help but feel some sense of joy at these words. It was not that she cared Chloe smoked, or anything along those lines. Instead it was the acknowledgment that the once lonely, abandoned girl felt free of her primary coping mechanism. Max wondered if she was what helped Chloe in reaching that point. She wasn’t sure, but still felt glee at the thought and gladly followed behind Chloe.

“We should grab some of step-douche’s camping equipment, just in case.” Max nodded in agreement as the two began gathering resources from the garage. Max noticed Chloe eyeing the gun cabinet and could sense the mental debate going on within her best friend’s mind. She decided to chime in.

“We don’t need it Chloe.” Max said reassuringly.

Chloe snapped. “We can’t be sure of that, Max. And after everyone I’ve lost I’m not gonna take an ounce of risk in loosing you too.” She opened the cabinet and grabbed a handgun along with some ammo.

Max was caught off guard at first but ultimately understood. She tried contemplating life moving forward without Chloe. It was a void from which she saw no immediate escape. This must be how Chloe feels, Max thought. Max simply smiled, “You’re not gonna lose me – promise.”

With a light tear building within Chloe’s eye, she jockingly intervened. “You’re so gay,” she said slightly nudging Max’s arm “but it’s okay - ‘cause so am I.” The two exchanged smiles before finally packing their newly acquired resources into the truck.

“Did you want to check out Blackhell before we go?” Chloe asked passively as she finished securing everything.

“Nope – I’ve got everything I need. And by that I mean I have my camera.” She said sarcastically.

The two returned to their seats within the rusty truck. Chloe once again placing her key into the ignition, realized the gravity of the moment. This was the day she had waited for. The day her and Rachel dreamed of. She was finally packed, ready to leave Arcadia Bay forever. Except Rachel couldn’t be there – she had been robbed of that. As Chloe’s mind began falling into a state of depression, she felt the warmth of Max’s hand under her palm. In an instant, she was once again saved by her best friend. In an instant she finally realized she was ready. The truck began pulling out of the driveway and began its long journey into the unknown. Max and Chloe certain of only one thing – wherever they were heading, they were going there together. And that made everything alright.


	2. William

The two best friends drove off into the distance to begin their lives together, free of the past and hopeful of the future. There wasn’t much that needed to be said. Just the occasional “Look at that!” whenever they encountered something remarkbly beautiful. In the driver seat sat Chloe Price, comfortably happy to be adventuring into the unknown. Next to her sat a sleepy Max Caulfield. Her hand still resting underneath Chloe’s as if they were puzzle pieces designed to fit together. 

Reaching into the packed bag of belonging s infront of her, Max pulled out the CD s he made for Chloe many moons ago. Upon placing the CD into the player she laid back down, ready to take a nap. It had been a long, troubling day but she felt safe knowing Chloe was behind the wheel – leading her to their future. As songs of days gone  by began playing, Max slowly drifted off.

* * *

Some time later Max had felt her body suddenly jolt forward, causing her to begin awakening. The skies around them had grown dark, but a bright structure seemingly towered over them. “This is it,” Max thought. “The aliens have finally come for me.” 

Chloe let out a joyful chuckle, “You are such a damn nerd!” she said reaching over to lightly shake Max’s shoulder. It was at this point that Max realized she had been mumbling in her mixed state of asleep and awake.  Chloe could notice Max lightly blushing at the ordeal, though it only made her more amazed at how adorable she was. 

The former-UFO began taking a more standard structure – a gas station. “What time is it?” Max asked while stretching and letting out a lengthy yawn. 

“Well, Sleeping Beauty,” Chloe sarcastically responded “you’ve been in hibernation for eight months!” She said  quickly shifting her voice to sound overdamatic. 

Max reached over and nudged her arm. “Ha-ha. For real Chloe.” 

“It’s like one in the morning or something. But we’re hella low on gas, so I pulled into this joint.” Chloe fumbled around her pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. “Swiped it from my mother’s bedroom. It seems we have…” She paused to count the money. “$124.67. So we should be frugal, I wanna save as much as possible for when we get to Los Angeles.” 

“Agreed. Do you want me to drive  next so you can rest a bit?” Max asked thoughtfully.

“Nah, I’m gonna pull into this backroad I saw, we can camp out there for the night. Then we can cuddle or some shit.” Chloe adorably paused. “You know! For warmth.” 

“For warmth.” Max responded. This time Chloe was the one blushing. Without a word, Chloe took $20 out of her hand and began walking to the store. She pumped the gas tank nearly full and once again began driving the truck. They reached their destination within a few short minutes, at which point Chloe pulled onto a bumpy, dirt road. Their only form of  light being the bright high-beams on the front of the truck. 

Finally they reached the end of the road, and Chloe calmly secured the vehicle. “Come on! Let’s get set up, I’m ready to be warm.” Max said sweetly. Chloe couldn’t help but smile  in response. They gathered the  decently sized tent, their single sleeping-bag, and some lights. Though it proved easier said than done to put up a tent under the darkness of night, they eventually concluded their labors for the day. 

Ready for sleep, they both changed into their pajamas for the night.  Before laying in bed, however, Chloe decided to more closely approach Max. Without a word, she leaned in and kissed her. In the heat of moment, Max began sliding her hand under Chloe’s  shirt and up her  back . She was slow in doing so, almost too slow for Chloe. The blue-haired girl quickly concluded the action and took her shirt off before throwing Max onto the sleepingbag beneath them. 

*  * *

Unlike Max, Chloe had fallen asleep shortly after. The geek had been left wide awake from her nap earlier in the day.  Instead, she laid next to her sleeping friend lightly brushing her hair. 

She couldn’t believe where she was. In the woods, cuddling with Chloe Price. Just two weeks ago she hadn’t  even talked to Chloe in over three years. Max felt immense regret for being so socially awkward. “ _Why couldn’t I have just talked to her?”_ She thought. “ _I almost missed out on so much.”_ She halted her thinking.  _But I didn’t._ Everything had still turned out okay, she felt. “ _Had Chloe always felt this way towards me?”_ A million questions ran through her mind as she gazed into the endless void of night surrounding her.  Max couldn’t help but feel confused as to how she could be so overwhelmingly happy yet so petrified at the same time. “ _Is this love?”_ She paused her thinking once again. “ _It must be._ ”

Max continued her endless loop of contemplating and self-questioning until she felt Chloe’s hand suddenly clamp down on her own. This was immediately followed by a n onslaught of sporadic breathing from the formerly calm blue-haired girl. “Chloe!” Max said firghtfully.  Max desperately shook her body in an attempt to wake her fully. “Please, Chloe – get up! It’s alright!” Max continued shaking her body until finally she awoke. 

Chloe didn’t say a word. She just stared into Max’s eyes. “It’s okay, it was just a dream, Chloe.” Max said reassuringly. Chloe, however, remained silent. Then, in what seemed like an instant, she threw her arms tightly around Max and pressed her  body firmly against her friend s . Almost as if it were a natural instinct, Max securely hug g ed Chloe back. 

“ I miss him so much!” Chloe exclaimed letting out her cries. “No matter how hard I try I can’t stop seeing that fucking wreck.” Her sobbing escalated. 

“Oh, Chloe...” Max lovingly responded. Seeing Chloe in such a state of panic brought tears to Max’s eyes. She knew it had to be fought, however, for the sake of her friend. Chloe needed her, maybe now more than ever. “Everything is gonna be alright.” She honestly didn’t know what to say in this situation. She wanted so desperately to help but couldn’t logically break down what the best course of action was.  “We’re leaving Arcadia bay, for good! Just like you’ve always wanted.” Max said reassuringly. 

“Just...” Chloe said in a slightly calmer voice “Hold me.” Perhaps she understood that Max was struggling to fully grasp the situation. Afterall, this had been the first time she has opened up like this – to anyone. Chloe could nevertheless see how much Max loved her. With that realization Chloe felt a sense of security sweep over her. 

Feeling no need to speak, Max scooted toward Chloe. It was only possible to get a millimeter or two closer, but she nevertheless felt it the right thing to do.  Chloe continued to sob upon her friend’s bare back as Max lightly slid her fingers through the sea of blue resting upon Chloe’s head. Slowly but surely Chloe’s breathing became more calm, more steady. Eventually she fell back asleep, deep within the warmth and security Max gave her. 

Max remained awake, firm in her devotion of attention toward Chloe. Despite everything that had happened this week, Max couldn’t help but feel that she had never  been  more hopeless in her life. The only thing, she thought, that remotely compared was the first time she watched Chloe get shot by Nathan – before she had powers. 

_“My powers!”_ Her eyes immediately growing wide. She had attempted before to save Chloe’s father but it hadn’t ended well. After seeing Chloe’s panic attack, however, she couldn’t help but feel obligated to at least try again. Things were different now. Before she knew Chloe was struggling, but now she knew that _Chloe_ _was struggling._

It was settled. Afterall, worst comes to worst she could just reverse everything like she had done before. She lightly rested Chloe’s now calm head on the pillow and,  after lightly kissing her on the forehead, slowly got up. She threw back on her clothes before pulling out the photo of William that Chloe grabbed before departing.  _“This is it. It’s time for you to be an everyday hero.”_


End file.
